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When Kayla booked me as her photographer for my Bump to Baby photography package, she warned me that we probably wouldn't able to follow my "normal" timeline of maternity photography session between 30 and 34 weeks and newborn photography session about 7 days after baby's due date due to her past history of preeclampsia. ​She wasn't wrong.

The week after Kayla's Maternity session, she was officially put on hospital bed-rest in an attempt to keep her baby boy in as long as possible. The bed rest helped and about 3-weeks later, 6-weeks before his official "due-date" Jaxon decided it was time to join the world. After a little extra time in the hospital, Jaxon came home and I was able take his newborn portraits!

With a newborn photography session date of January 2nd (23 days before his due-date), Jaxon had the honor of being my first photography client of 2019. And this little peanut was a dream! It was very import to mom and dad that I capture plenty of family pictures as well as pictures of Jaxon with his doting big sister.

"This is how we take the fear out of birth: by honoring and embracing all the many possible variations that birth encompasses. In this way, every birth is a natural birth. Each of us is a part of nature, not separate from it, and nature is always stunning in its variety. Your birth, then, is part of the natural world, however it unfolds."~ Lauralyn Curtis

Cesarean. C-section. Belly Birth. Call it what you will. You go into an operating room pregnant and come out a mother! I don't think there's anything more wonderful than bringing a new life into the world - however you choose to do so!Claudia contacted me early in her pregnancy to hire me as her birth photographer to photograph her fourth and final cesarean birth. Mathias would be their fourth and last child as well as their first to be born in Pensacola, and they wanted to make sure that his birth story was captured!

When you hire a birth photographer for a c-section delivery, there will always be the possibility that she (or he) won't be allowed into the operating room to capture the actual moments of birth. All of my clients know it's up to them to let their OBGYN or midwife know that they've hired a birth photographer and to advocate for me to be allowed with them along their journey to parenthood.

On Mathias's birthday this was not a problem though! We had sweet nurses, a fun anesthesiologist who not only allowed me in but also shifted her equipment to give me room for more angles, and a pediatrician who told me to "get on down there and take my pictures" when I lagged behind not wanting to go where I hadn't been invited. ​

I arrived at the hospital at the same time as the parents, where I spent the next hour or so documenting all of the little moments - mom being monitored, grandma coming in, paperwork, and finally mom and then dad getting ready to head into the operating room.I was even able to grab a quick selfie of me all kitted out too!

Mathias's birth was amazing to witness! Look at that beautiful, angry little man.The clear drape that was used for this birth was so neat! The mom was able to watch her baby being born just as she could during a vaginal delivery.​BTW - Thank you Baptist Hospital Pensacola, FL for the BEST OR clock placement ever!

The pediatrician and nurses called dad down to the warmer to meet his newest son while baby was cleaned up and measurements were taken.

As soon as they were sure Mathias's vitals were good, the nurses returned Mathias to his mom for some skin-to-skin while she was still on the operating table!

Finally, we all headed to the recovery room for some family bonding. Mathias's 2 older sisters and big brother even got to come in to meet him for a couple of minutes!

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Birth Photography in northwest Florida that is timeless and unforgettable. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, family, and newborn photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, Cantonment, and Crestview in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in Alabama. Maternity, birth, and newborn photography sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a high-end, full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

I don't know about you, but that quote rings very true to me. And I think it rings equally true for these clients! Extended family photography sessions aren't just for blood relatives - they're also for the family you chose for yourself. These ladies became friends in college, and now, over a decade later, they along with their significant others and children, gather together each year to celebrate their continued friendship. As someone who only sees her closest friends at most once a year, I was tickled that they wanted commemorate their vacation with a family photography session in front of their Gulf Shores condo.

We wrapped up the session with a picture of the four girls who started this whole thing.

I've been wanting to revamp my current Portrait Referral Program for quite some time, but I wasn't sure exactly what to offer. I wanted a new program that really reflects what my clients are looking for and would appreciate. Let's be honest, if the referral credit isn't worth it, you're not going to remember to make sure your friend lets me know YOU sent them my way.

The two most important things I want the updated referral program to do are1. benefit clients no matter what type of session they booked including birth photography and Watch Me Grow Baby Plans2. benefit my local Pensacola, Orange Beach, etc clients as well as my awesome vacation booking clientsI think this system will benefit everyone!

So, without further ado, my new and improved Client Referral Program:​

You receive 1 credit for every client you refer who books a Family, Newborn, or Maternity Portrait session or Christmas Mini session

You receive 1 credit for each repeat session YOU book (including Christmas Mini sessions)

You receive 2 credits for every client you refer who books a Watch Me Grow Baby Plan or Birth Story Photography

The fine print:*Your referral must be a new client of Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography and they must let me know that YOU referred them.**Credits can accumulate over multiple years.***You can choose to turn in your 5 credits into a gift card that you can give to someone. (Not available for 3 credit mini sessions.)

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Family Photography in northwest Florida that captures your family’s connections, emotions, and moments in a fun, natural way. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, newborn, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Family portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

Mom-to-be, Kyleigh, hired me to take baby boy E's Newborn Portraits before they even moved to Pensacola. Moving at 34+ weeks is stressful enough, so being able to book her session early with me took one thing off her plate! Every newborn client receives a little questionnaire from me upon booking where clients can let me know preferred colors and make any specific session requests. Kyleigh's only request was that their standard poodles be included in some of the pictures. I love dogs (well, pretty much all animals) so I was excited to tackle her request!

In my life I've owned a lot of animals and worked with even more - I was actually a vet tech in high school. But, I have never had the pleasure of working with a more laid back pair of dogs than these two!

Of course, I also took some photographs of baby boy E by himself as well as parent pictures.

The other request mom had was a picture with daddy in his U.S. Navy uniform.

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Newborn Photography in northwest Florida that is timeless. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, family, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a high-end, full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

Each year from the end of December through mid-January, you can't surf the internet without seeing a "Best of" post or blog. So,thanks to the title of this blog post, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes at me already. Well, this isn't going to be one of those "my best pictures of 2018" posts - for one thing, if you follow me on social media or ever glance at my website, you've already seen my best work, and for another thing, that's boring.

So, what's this post the "Best of"? This is actually going to be my favorite unplanned moments of 2018 sessions!

That time agreed to photograph a Family Portrait Session in Orange Beach at Alabama Point the day after the 4th of July... and there were a total of 12 OTHER photographers there too.

When the toddler is done.

What happens when you say CHEESE

When that mean ol' photographer pushed bed time and baby boy just couldn't hang.

Because sometimes even the dog has an opinion

That time my clients and I had to sprint off the beach thanks to a sudden, massive storm rolling into Pensacola Beach.

3 of the 10 shots it took to get 1 with all 3 girls looking at me and smiling

And I leave you with a behind the scenes photo of me in action doing what I love!

I hope you enjoyed this silly "Best of 2018"!Going forward I plan to keep an archive of these funny moments for more posts just like this one.

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Family Photography in northwest Florida that captures your family’s connections, emotions, and moments in a fun, natural way. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, newborn, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Family portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

If you’ve never been to Bellingrath Home & Gardens, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If you’ve never been there for the “Magic Christmas in Lights” then go ahead and put it on your calendar to go this year! They put on a truly phenomenal light display. And not only that, it’s easily walk-able for young and old alike. It’s also fully wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Understand of course, that these are merely a small sampling of the displays and scenes they have for you to enjoy. From the website itself:

"Bellingrath Gardens and Home is celebrating the 23rd year of Magic Christmas in Lights in 2018! In this Gulf Coast holiday tradition, guests stroll through a dazzling light display that features more than 1,100 set pieces, 3 million lights and 15 scenes throughout the 65-acre Garden estate. In addition, the Bellingrath Home is decorated in its holiday finery and enhanced with beautiful poinsettias.

Magic Christmas in Lights opens on November 23 and continues nightly through December 31, 2018 (closed Christmas Day). Magic Christmas in Lights is open each night from 5 to 9 PM. Tours of the Bellingrath Home are every hour and half hour until 8:30 PM.

Magic Christmas in Lights includes nightly choral performances on the South Terrace of the Home on Sundays through Thursdays."

It's been 4 weeks since I photographed the birth of the Roderick family's third and final child at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL. It's taken me 4 weeks to blog about this birth not because the pictures weren't ready and not because anything went wrong. In fact, it was the opposite - this was a beautiful birth filled with love and support. The reason it's taken me so long to make this post is that I have been struggling to come up with the right words. And you know what? I still don't have them. So I'm going to use the mother's own words that she wrote to describe her final birth experience.

"Birth can teach you so many things if you let it. Our story didn’t go quite according to plan yet at the same time, it went so much better than I could have ever imagined or planned for myself. Just because the “plans” change, doesn’t mean everything has to go out the window. You can’t really PLAN your birth. You can PREPARE. You never know what cards you’ll be dealt. All you can do is play them as they come. My third and final birth experience taught me so much about myself and about birth. I’ll never be the same." - Lindsey

Isn't that lovely and true? You can't really plan your birth but that you can prepare.Now I'm going to share some of the pictures highlighting baby A's birth and the amazing support system that Lindsey had in her husband, her doula, her midwife, and her nurses.*Pictures below will contain moderately graphic images showcasing how incredible women's bodies are at bringing new life into the world but sensitive areas will be covered.

Mama, Lindsey said it best when she described their new addition as their caboose who made their family complete.

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Birth Photography in northwest Florida that is timeless and unforgettable. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, family, and newborn photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a high-end, full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to start booking my always popular Christmas Mini Sessions, but here we are!This year’s Pensacola Christmas Mini Portrait Sessions will take place on 3 dates only - November 17th, 18th, and 25th - with two locations to choose from: the beach in Perdido Key State Park or Bayview Park in Pensacola, FL. More specific location details will be sent to clients after booking.The set for these sessions will be similar to previous years and include decorated Christmas trees and a comfy chair and/or bench.

2018 Christmas Mini Session - $10015-minute sessionUnlimited family membersYour pick of 3 edited, high-resolution images from your viewing gallery via digital download with Print release*Additional digital images, prints, and canvases may be purchased from your full gallery.**If wanting to include your family pet in your pictures, you must choose the Bayview Park location as Perdido Key State Park does NOT allow animals on the beach.

Please follow this link to sign up for your Christmas Mini Session Time Slot. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f49afab2da5f85-christmas1NOTE: Time slots are denoted either BEACH or PARK. Make sure you pick the location you want. After I receive your requested time slot, I’ll email your contract as well as the invoice for your session fee to the email address you signed up with. *The session fee MUST be paid within 24 hours of receipt or you will lose your time slot.*​

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Family Photography in northwest Florida that captures your family’s connections, emotions, and moments in a fun, natural way. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, newborn, and birth photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Family portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!

The G family came to me looking for something different for Levi's one-year old portraits and cake smash. It was also important that we include Junior, the four-legged member of their family in the family portraits I'd also be taking during their photography session. Together, we designed the perfect session for them. In order to stay within ordinances, we planned Levi's cake smash session for the Pensacola dog beach. This is a beautiful stretch of sand at Pensacola Beach where families and their dogs can enjoy the beach together.

We started with family pictures because once baby gets into the frosting, it's all over.

Once the family pictures were finished, it was time for Levi's Pensacola Beach cake smash!

One of my favorite parts was when Levi shared his cake with Junior.

What's a cake smash without a little cleanup afterwards?​It was such fun bringing my little tub out onto the beach for Levi's post cake smash bath!

Whether you're looking for an indoor, traditional cake smash for your little one's one-year old pictures or you'd prefer something outdoors or out-of-the-ordinary, I'm sure we can come up with something perfect!